American Chopper will end again, for real (maybe)

by Andy Dehnart19 Nov. 2012 | 7:25 pm

The TLC and Discovery Channel reality series American Chopper will end next month with a live episode on Discovery, about 2.5 years after it aired its series finale. The show found a second life even after its stars, Paul Teutul, Sr. and Paul Teutul, Jr., had a public falling out.

The show has been broadcast for 10 years and will air 233 episodes total, which have spanned two networks. The final episode airs Dec. 10 and 11 and will be another live “Chopper Revenge” special, a four-bike build-off. And maybe someday, it’ll come back to life again like a stubborn zombie.

Pilgrim’s Craig Piligian told EW, “I have mixed emotions. It’s had a great run. We had a lot of ups and downs. There’s been so much that’s happened to this family over the last 10 years. … I think the show has come full circle.” In a statement, Discovery and TLC’s president Eileen O’Neill noted it “was one of the very first family-based reality programs on television. Special thanks to Pilgrim Studios for over a decade of great producing.”

about the writer

Andy Dehnart is a journalist who has covered reality television for more than 15 years and created reality blurred in 2000. A member of the Television Critics Association, his writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Playboy, Buzzfeed, and many other publications. Andy, 37, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. More about reality blurred and Andy.

follow reality blurred

about this publication

reality blurred exists to cover television's most under-appreciated genre, reality TV, with original reporting, analysis, criticism, and curated information. It's edited by Andy Dehnart.
reality blurred is regularly updated with reality TV news; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of reality TV shows including Survivor, Big Brother, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, The Voice, Top Chef, and many more.
Learn more about the site.